Apple Looking to Begin Production of Electric Vehicle in 2020?

Apple is aiming to begin production of an electric vehicle by as early as 2020, according to Bloomberg. Apple's aggressive timeline will enable the company to compete with other other electric vehicles offered by GM and Tesla in 2017.

Apple Inc., which has been working secretly on a car, is pushing its team to begin production of an electric vehicle as early as 2020, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The timeframe -- automakers typically spend five to seven years developing a car -- underscores the project’s aggressive goals and could set the stage for a battle for customers with Tesla Motors Inc. and General Motors Co., both of which are targeting a 2017 release of an electric vehicle that can go more than 200 miles on a single charge and cost less than $40,000.

We've heard several reports now that claim Apple is making an electric vehicle -- all which surfaced last week. A WSJ source said Apple has about 1,000 employees working on the vehicle project; however, Bloomberg says the team consists of just 200 members.

Notably, a recent lawsuit filed against Apple by A123 Systems, corroborates these reports. A123 says that Apple has poached its workers to develop its own 'large scale battery division'.

Apple often works on various projects and prototypes, many of which never make it to production. It will be interesting to see whether it decides to go ahead with releasing an electric vehicle and whether or not it will be self-driving.